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Reservations required for Amtrak service

PBN Staff

11/19/2005

Anticipating a busy Thanksgiving holiday travel period, all Amtrak trains in the Northeast will require reservations from Nov. 22 to Nov. 28

More than 60 extra trains will operate during the week in the Northeast to meet the extra demand. Most of the added trains will run on the two busiest travel days, Wednesday, Nov. 23 and Sunday, Nov. 27. Twenty-nine extra Acela Expresses are included among the extra trains during the week.

The week of Thanksgiving is typically Amtrak’s busiest travel period of the year. The railroad expects to carry more than 600,000 passengers during the holiday week, as occurred during the same period in 2004. On the heaviest travel day of the year for Amtrak, Wednesday, Nov. 23, the railroad’s ridership is expected to spike at 125,000 passengers, system wide, 80 percent more passengers than an average Wednesday, when 69,000 passengers are carried. Over the span of the holiday week, Amtrak will carry approximately 30 percent more passengers than an average week.

Amtrak offers the following tips for holiday passengers:

Purchase tickets early using Amtrak.com, QuikTraksm ticket vending machines or ticket windows at staffed stations or calling 800-USA-RAIL. Carry valid photo identification at all times.
Note the limit of two carry-on bags per person (excluding laptops, purses, briefcases), and be sure all luggage is tagged with name and address.
Allow plenty of time at stations prior to departure — at least 45 minutes before departure if tickets need to be picked up.
Passengers may obtain schedule information online at www.amtrak.com or by picking up a copy of Amtrak’s timetable. A special holiday timetable is already available in stations in the Northeast.

Amtrak provides intercity passenger rail services to more than 500 destinations in 46 states on a 22,000-mile route system. For schedules, fares and information, passengers may call 800-USA-RAIL or visit www.amtrak.com.

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